While Canadians were basking in the well-deserved glory of our Olympian athletes doing so well, there were some clouds over Canada’s spot on the world scene.
One, of course, was the arrest of three Olympic participants for auto theft and drunk driving. The other was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s somewhat less than glorious visit to India.
READ MORE: Team Canada’s Dave Duncan apologizes after drunken joyride in Pyeongchang
Some pundits believe the purpose of this visit was to enhance his image with Indo-Canadian voters who might defect to NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. Whatever, Mr. Trudeau’s popularity has been getting a tad tarnished with his failure to keep campaign promises and this overseas trip, like recent visits to China and the Phillipines, didn’t do much to restore the glow.
Maybe Mr. T should spend some time traveling at home. He could come west, for instance. The well-being of B.C. doesn’t seem to be high on his agenda. He wouldn’t have to worry about costumes nor would he need to bring a special chef for official dinners. He could have a first-hand look at the coastal areas that could be devastated by an oil spill.
Remember there have been no studies of the impact the increased tanker traffic resulting from the Kinder Morgan proposed pipeline project might have, the studies have all been on the pipeline itself.
READ MORE: B.C.’s First Nations hail court’s quash of Kinder Morgan pipeline approval
He could bring Alberta Premier Rachel Notley with him. While he’s here he could visit a fish farm or two and even go to Site C — a visit there might help him decide whether or not it’s really a good idea to have a Chinese state-owned company play a major role in the dam’s construction.
No doubt there are many B.C. communities that would appreciate having a chat with our leader.
One thing we can rejoice in: Justin isn’t Donald Trump. As a former teacher he won’t want to arm teachers with guns. Books, maybe.
Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian and book author.
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